No Detentions for Tonks
by Grasspaw
Summary: McGonnigal was all set to give Nymphadora Tonks a detention when an old student of hers pops in. Lupin was very upset, but why?
1. Chapter 1

**Howdy doo. How was your Christmas? Once again, it's late and I'm tired, but I was read OotP and had to write this. The first time Tonks sees her future husband. Enjoy. I own nothing.**

"Miss Tonks, see me after class," McGonnigal commanded while the rest of the first years in her room giggled.

"Sure thing, professor," the girl answered cheerfully, changing her hair color yet again. She sat back in her seat and turned to wink at someone across the room. More giggling ensued.

Throughout the rest of the lesson, Tonks feigned innocence, the rest of the Hufflepuffs tried not to laugh out loud, and McGonnigal shot several glares at the girl. After class, Tonks walked towards her desk and sat in front of it. Of course, she failed to notice that there was no chair in front of it, and fell flat on her back. The stern professor leaned forward so that she could see her student lying on the ground with a confused look on her face.

Tonks sat up, rubbing her back a little bit. Her cheeks were pink, though from embarrassment or excitement it was hard to tell. "Oi, what gives? No chair for your favorite pupil?"

McGonnigal moaned, though the corner of her mouth twitched despite herself. "Miss Tonks," she said in as stern a voice as she could manage, while her "favorite pupil" stood up, grinning cheekily. "I asked you to transfigure something."

"No, you asked me to transfigure _anything. _So I did."

"I don't believe that counts."

"Why? I changed something from one thing to another. That's transfiguration, isn't it?"

"You. Are. A. Metamorphmagus. It does not count if you simply change your appearance."

"But I changed it to look like exactly like you. You should be flattered."

The Transfiguration teacher's retort was lost as at the moment the door to the class burst open. A tall young man with sandy brown hair burst in, panting heavily. He looked about nineteen or twenty, though Tonks could see a few grey hairs on his head. Odd. "Where's... Dumbledore?" he gasped, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.

"Lupin! What do you need him for?" McGonnigal seemed to have forgotten that she had a First Year Hufflepuff student right in front of her.

"They're after... McKinnon's. Whole family... Greyback said... And I saw them leave..."

McGonnigal had turned white. "Marlene McKinnon?"

The man named Lupin nodded, apparently too out of breath to speak anymore. McGonnigal rose. "Have a seat. I shall alert Albus." She marched swiftly out of the room, and Lupin collapsed in one of the seats, still panting heavily. Tonks still stood where she was, torn between the utter awkwardness of this situation and her curiosity. So she just stood there, trying to decide what to do. When McGonnigal did not return and the man was still breathing heavily, she decided just to leave.

However, as soon as she moved, Lupin seemed to notice her. His head shot up and he looked shocked. "Who're you?"

"Tonks," she replied, looking scared. Lupin looked puzzled as he thought for a moment.

"Not Andromeda Tonks' kid, are you?"

"Yes..." she said slowly. Did he know her mother? How?

He half smiled suddenly, looking pleased, though still somewhat upset. She wondered if she should ask who the McKinnon's were. "You don't look much like your mom."

Tonks closed her eyes with a pained expression, and when she opened them she was the spitting image of her mother. She raised an eyebrow. Lupin looked mildly impressed. "Metamorphmagus, huh?"

She grinned and allowed her hair to change to her current favorite color, a light aqua. Her eyes turned green to match. "Yep."

He nodded and looked contemplative. Then he seemed to remember what he had just told McGonnigal and his face fell. His eyes seemed to burn with and unnatural anger, and he let out a small noise somewhere between a whiper and a growl. He leaped up suddenly. "I have to go, Tonks. Tell your mother that Moony says hi."

And with that, he rushed out of the room. Tonks looked confused. "Moony?"

Oh well, she thought. At lease she didn't get a detention.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am quitting fanfiction. Check my profile for more info. I own nothing.**

Tonks yawned as she headed towards a certain painting. She looked around carefully before tickling the pear and stepping into the kitchen. One of the elves looked up and grinned. "Why, Miss Tonks, ma'am!"

She waved slightly. "Wotcher, Battie. You don't mind, do you? I mean, it's late..."

"No, no, Miss Tonks!" The house-elf bobbed her head happily. "I is happy to serve Miss Tonks!"

"Great," Tonks said, relieved. "I had detention and then it was after dinner... I'm starving."

Battie was almost dancing with excitement. "Battie will get you some food, Miss Tonks." The elf rushed off, and Tonks sat on a bench pressed against the wall. She thought her stomach might implode if she didn't get something to eat. Just then, before Battie returned, the door opened again and someone, a human, an _adult _human, stepped into the kitchen. From her seat Tonks was partially hidden behind a shelf, so that she could see whoever it was but they couldn't see her. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that it was the same young man from earlier.

A collective gasp went through the kitchens, and then all of the house-elves that were not asleep began clapping and cheering. He grinned. "Master Moony, sir, Master Moony!" cried one old house-elf, hobbling forward. His grin disappeared.

"Hey, Tiller," he said quietly. "I, uh, I have to tell you something."

"Are Master Prongs and Master Padfoot here? And Master Wormtail?"

"No, no, it's just me... Say, can I get something to eat? Then we need to talk, Tille- who else is in here?"

Tonks pressed herself against the wall, praying that it was just a guess. Or maybe he was referring to the house-elves?

Nope. He turned in her direction. Saw her, for she wasn't completely hidden. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Good Lord, I don't believe this..." He looked at her again. "Well, get over here, then." She stood on legs that suddenly felt like jello. Why was she so afraid? Anyone else and she would laugh and skip over like there was nothing wrong whatsoever.

"Yes?" At least her voice was steady.

"Why are you awake?"

"Why are you here?"

"You should be in bed."

"You should be wherever you were before you came here."

His face paled, then flushed. "That is a lie," he whispered fiercely. "It... it's not true."

She ignored his strange reaction. "Well so's what you said. I should _not_ be in bed."

He just stared at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Um... okay, maybe I should... b-but I'm hungry!"

The other eyebrow was up now.

"I missed dinner. Madam Hooch saw me... er, filching brooms out of the, uh, locker rooms."

He sighed. "Look, kid, eat your dinner, then _leave. _Okay?"

She nodded, cursing her legs, which had started shaking again. "O-okay."

He nodded curtly and turned to the old elf again. "Tiller, we need to talk." He placed a hand on the elf''s shoulder and started walking away. "It's about the McKinnons..."

When Battie brought her food a moment later, Tonks found that she wasn't hungry anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am quitting fanfiction and handing out some of my stories to other authors. Check my profile for more info. I own nothing.**

"Did _you_ see him?"

"See who?" Tonks asked distractedly.

"That's just it! No one knows, except the teachers. Lauren said she heard the teachers in the teachers lounge talking about 'That poor Lupin. What will he do now?' Doesn't that make you wonder?"

Tonks stopped. "Lupin?"

Charlie shrugged. "That's what Lauren said. And you know her. She knows _everything." _Lauren was a highly knowledgeable second year who generally completed their trio, though at the moment she was serving detention for sneaking into the teacher's lounge. He looked around. "Do you think he knows something about..." His voice had dropped to a whisper. "You-Know-Who?"

Tonks shrugged. For some reason, she didn't want to tell anyone about her strange encounter with the young man. The young man whom she couldn't stop thinking about. But she was sure there was some normal, rational, easily explained reason for it. It wasn't that weird thing Lauren had been talking about the other day, because she was only eleven. It wasn't, like, a crush. Or anything.

"I'd ask my dad," Charlie was continuing. "But I'm not supposed to write him about... you know... that stuff."

Tonks nodded absently. "Yeah. I know what you- Oi, I'm walking here!" she shouted as two laughing fourth years came barreling past her, their muddy brooms slung over their shoulders. Their was a trail of dirt behind them. As Tonks and Charlie stared at each other in confusion, they suddenly heard an ominous scuffling gait. They stared at each other in horror. _Filch! _

"Quick," Charlie hissed. "In here." He opened the door to an empty classroom, and they shot inside. They both let out a sigh of relief when they heard the footsteps, accompanied by an angry muttering, go past the doorway.

"That was close," Tonks muttered. She turned around to look at the room. "I've never been in here before. Have you?"

Charlie looked at her strangely. "You've never been in here before?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, it's just..."

Tonks clutched her stomach. "Charlie," she whispered. "Is this that place...?"

"Yeah." He looked down. "Everyone was crowding in here to see it. I felt bad. It looks like they've cleaned up the blood now, though..." He looked up at the walls. "Yeah, it's all gone. There was some on the ceiling at first. Filch must have had a hard time of it..."

"Charlie!" Tonks felt sick. "How can you even _talk _about it like it's so normal?"

"Tonks, that is normal," Charlie said softly. "I'm sorry, though. I keep forgetting you don't have anything to do with the Order. I hear all about this stuff."

"The Order?" said an unfamiliar voice. Except that it was familiar. They both whipped around to see the young man standing there. He was leaning calmly against the doorframe. His mouth said he was uninterested, but his eyes said he could easily crush the two of them. Very nice eyes, though, other than the fact that they were terrifying her.

"Um..."Charlie was very clearly biting his tongue. Though he had told her, mostly because she had figured it out and just needed confirmation, he obviously didn't want to tell a stranger.

Tonks assumed his name was Lupin, since that was what several different people had called him. Then again, he called himself Moony.

"You shouldn't go around talking about that, Weasely. Your father will be less than happy when he hears about that. Believe me, a friend of mine got _drunk-"_ his voice said clearly how much he disapproved of this act, though Tonks rather enjoyed Firewhiskey- "and told his Muggle girlfriend all about it. The talk that Arthur gave him..."

"Hey!" Charlie said hotly. His ears were bright red; he probably knew Lupin was right. "How do you know all that?"

Lupin rolled his eyes. "I have my sources." He glanced at his watch. "The bell's going to ring any minute now; I suggest you get going." They nodded and scampered out. Glancing back, Tonks saw him place a hand on the wall, a yearning, sorrowful expression on his face. THis guy was weird.


	4. Chapter 4

**I am quitting fanfiction and handing out some of my stories to other authors. Check my profile for more info. I own nothing.**

Tonks chased after the laughing Charlie, a fierce grin of angered determination on her face. "Get back here, you lousy jerk!" She had just bought some Zonko's candy from a fifth year returning from Hogsmeade. She was just about to open the last bag of Tropical Sours when Charlie had snuck up behind her and grabbed it. He had run away, yelling, "No food in the library!" at the top of his lungs. She chased him around the shelves for a while before he ran outside.

And now she was hyper from the one or two (or six) single-serving bags she had eaten earlier, having an adrenaline rush, and sugar-induced fury was coursing through her blood. She ran past an ugly stone gargoyle faster than she ever had before, screaming, "Gimme back my Tropical Sours, you dimwit!"

To her surprise, the stone gargoyle, which she had passed a thousand times without noticing, leapt to the side, revealing a hidden staircase. She looked down the hall in either direction. Charlie had disappeared around a corner. It was a perfect day outside, and most of the rest of the students were outside. No teachers were in sight. She stepped into the passageway. As she put a cautious foot onto the stairs, the gargoyle moved back into its place. She turned in alarm (how would she get out?) but the stairs were moving up, carrying her along to the top. When she reached the top she saw a door. She looked nervously back down the spiral staircase and pushed the door open a fraction of an inch.

The first thing she saw was Professor Dumbledore, sitting calmly at a desk covered in odd silver trinkets of all shapes and sizes. The walls were lined with portraits. She didn't recognize any of the people in them. She was in the Headmasters office!

The next thing she saw was Lupin, or Moony, or whatever his name was, sitting across from Dumbledore with his back to her. He was twirling his wand between his fingers. "You wanted to see me, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Remus."

"What... what about?"

"First, to offer my condolences. I was very sorry to hear about the McKinnons, and I knew it would be a particularly hard blow to you."

"Yes," Lupin said in a low voice. Dumbledore was silent, so he continued. "I lived with them from fourth year until the time I graduated; you know that, you set it up."

"Yes."

"It was... it..." He suddenly leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Oh, God, it was like losing Mum and Dad again."

Dumbledore's voice was gentle. "I understand, Remus."

This was confusing her. The teachers called him Lupin, the Headmaster called him Remus, and he called himself Moony.

"I know you do, sir."

Dumbledore stood suddenly and began pacing back and forth behind his desk. "I wonder, Remus, if you have a place to transform this month? It's a mere week and a half away."

Lupin shook his head. "No, sir. I can't transform at Greyback's anymore; rushing off like that probably tipped him off. And you know that when I wasn't with him I was with... the McKinnons."

Dumbledore sighed. "Stay as long as you like, Remus, and feel free to use the Shack. You know how to get there."

"And Madam Pomfrey?"

"Will be waiting." Dumbledore stopped pacing and placed a hand on Lupin's shoulder. "Be prepared, Remus. This will be one of your worst."

"Of course, sir. Where will I stay until then?"

"Well, I doubt you want to sleep in the Shack... You know, I believe Professor Synistra has a spare bed in her room. I'll ask her."

"Thank you, sir," Lupin said quietly, standing up. He suddenly leaned across the desk and hugged the old Headmaster tightly, surprising Tonks. "I don't deserve it," he whispered, tears in his voice.

Dumbledore looked only mildy surprised and said gently, hugging him back, "No one deserves it more than you."

Tonks, realizing that Lupin was leaving, decided to hightail it out of there fast. She sprinted s quietly as she could down the spiral stair, which were now going down, and pushed desperately on the door. To her surprise it opened immediately, and she ran out, going in the direction of the HufflePuff common room. Random thoughts and bits of the overheard conversation were floating through her head.

_Transformation? Greyback? What was a week and a half away... THE FULL MOON!_


End file.
